Seven Angels Cellars

Paso Robles AVA

A fledgling winery quickly gaining traction with awards and high accolades

When two families that have known each other for many years and have seven children between them get together, what is the obvious thing to do?

The answer is simple. Open a winery that celebrates the new union and live happily ever after. Such is the case of Greg and Pamela Martin, a Central Coast couple whose children had known and played together for years. After Pamela’s husband passed away, the couple got together and found a mutual compassion for wine and the wine industry.

“We are a blended family,” reported Greg Martin, 62. “My wife and I came to love wine through different channels, but we both agreed a winery was the way to go.” Seven Angels Cellars began operations with its first release of only 70 cases in 2009 and has grown steadily to its present level of 1500+ cases. “If things continue to go well for us, I would hope to reach the 3,500-4,000 case level sometime down the road,” added Martin.

Along the way, Greg Martin has had plenty of help. He worked alongside the father-son team of Norm and Brian Benson (Dark Star Cellars and Brian Benson Cellars) to hone his winemaking skills. He also credits Rich Hartenberger (Midnight Cellars) with helping his progression into commercial winemaking. Greg and Pamela Martin recently purchased a 93-acre site on the Salinas River and have already planted more than 20 acres with a variety of rootstock.

Will Seven Angels Cellars become be an estate only producer in the future?

“Probably not,” replied Greg Martin. “I’m a red Rhône guy first and I have always respected the great diversity that the Central Coast offers to growers. We usually blend our wines and see what works well for us. We will have enough estate fruit to do what we want with and will probably produce some estate wines, but I reserve the right to continue blending as we see fit.”

Awards and accolades have accumulated for the Paso Robles business. An added honor for Seven Angels Cellars is the fact that it was selected as one of the wines for the esteemed 2017 Orange County Wine Dinner, a high honor for the fledgling winery.